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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. spell — letters
  4. fine — high quality
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. spell — magic
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fine — all right
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. spell — a short time
  19. game — a match
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bass — the instrument

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