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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. scale — in music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rush — hurry
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com