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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bass — the fish
  3. firm — a company
  4. mine — for digging
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. firm — steady
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bass — low music
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. club — for golf
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. shower — rain
  16. club — for dancing
  17. tube — a container
  18. club — a group
  19. scale — size or range
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. firm — decided
  23. tube — the underground
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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