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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bass — low music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. sharp — clever
  7. charge — electricity
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. degree — from a university
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. scale — in music
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rash — a series
  18. degree — an amount
  19. charge — a price
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. charge — in control
  24. scale — for weighing

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