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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mark — a grade
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rule — government
  8. chest — a box
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. rule — a law
  15. mug — a cup
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. roll — a cake
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. roll — a list
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mark — a trace
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bass — the fish

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