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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. swing — music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bass — low music
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pit — in a race
  12. tube — a container
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mate — a partner
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. swing — in golf
  20. kick — in football
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pit — a hole
  24. kick — a thrill

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