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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. perch — the fish
  3. can — a tin
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. board — a committee
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the fish
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. can — a tin
  18. tear — to rip
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. plane — a tool
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ruler — for measuring

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