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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bass — low music
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — a short time
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spell — letters
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pop — music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pop — to visit
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bass — the fish
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. can — a tin
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spell — magic
  24. pop — soda

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