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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. club — for dancing
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. club — a group
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the fish
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. foot — a measure
  12. scale — size or range
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rash — hasty
  16. scale — in music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bass — low music
  20. wake — a trail
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rash — a series
  23. club — for golf
  24. foot — part of the body

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