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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. last — to go on
  6. can — a tin
  7. last — finally
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bass — low music
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fall — the season
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cold — not warm
  17. last — final
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cold — an illness
  22. can — a tin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. deal — to handle

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