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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. land — to come down
  3. rash — a series
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. track — a path
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. track — a song
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. track — to keep track
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bass — low music
  17. land — ground
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rash — hasty
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — a country
  24. tube — a container

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