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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. march — music
  4. club — for golf
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bass — the fish
  7. lean — thin
  8. club — a group
  9. march — the month
  10. fine — high quality
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. club — for dancing
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — help
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — all right

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