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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. vault — a safe
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rock — music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bass — low music
  14. file — a tool
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cue — a hint
  19. file — a document
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wind — moving air

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