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

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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 instrument
  2. club — for golf
  3. bass — the fish
  4. track — a path
  5. lie — to recline
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — to trim
  9. club — a group
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spell — letters
  13. club — for dancing
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. track — a song
  17. prune — to trim
  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