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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bass — the fish
  6. kid — child
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cap — a hat
  11. kid — to tease
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. swing — to play on
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — music
  24. branch — of a bank

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