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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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 — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spell — letters
  9. hand — in cards
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. spell — magic
  13. hand — help
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bear — the animal
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — part of the body
  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