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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bass — low music

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