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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lie — to recline
  9. club — a group
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. club — for golf
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. shower — rain
  18. trunk — of a tree

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