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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cue — for pool
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. fall — the season
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bass — the fish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a signal
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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