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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pop — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. deal — to handle
  6. club — for golf
  7. snap — to click
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. tube — the underground
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. perch — the fish
  15. tube — a container
  16. pop — to visit
  17. club — a group
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pop — soda
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tear — to rip

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