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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bass — the fish
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fall — the season
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pitch — completely
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fall — to drop
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fall — to drop
  17. current — electric
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wax — to grow
  21. squash — the sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bass — low music
  24. racket — a loud noise

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