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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. ground — a position
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mug — a face
  5. season — in sport
  6. ground — the earth
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fine — all right
  14. file — a document
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. bass — low music

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