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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · firm · bass · deal · mug · shower · last · present

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. shower — rain
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. present — there
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. firm — a company
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bass — low music
  10. mug — to rob
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mug — a face
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mug — a cup
  15. last — to go on
  16. firm — steady
  17. present — the time now
  18. deal — to handle
  19. last — finally
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. firm — decided
  22. foot — a measure
  23. last — final
  24. present — a gift

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