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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. track — a song
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cap — a hat
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wind — moving air
  15. march — music
  16. mug — a face
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mug — a cup
  22. ball — a great time
  23. march — the month
  24. track — a path

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