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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — for catching
  10. bass — the fish
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bore — to tire
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tube — a container
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. net — after costs
  21. bore — to drill
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. tube — in a tire

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