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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. firm — a company
  5. land — to come down
  6. sharp — clever
  7. land — ground
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. firm — decided
  11. object — a thing
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. pop — soda
  15. land — a country
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. object — an aim
  18. firm — steady
  19. bass — low music
  20. scale — in music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — to visit

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