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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. bass — low music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. club — for golf
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the fish
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. club — a group
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lie — an untruth

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