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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ball — a dance
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rock — music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rock — a stone

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