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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. plane — a tool
  6. object — to protest
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bass — low music
  11. shower — rain
  12. rush — hurry
  13. object — an aim
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. band — a music group
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. saw — the tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitch — completely
  24. object — a thing

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