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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ball — a great time
  3. snap — to click
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. band — a music group
  6. ball — a dance
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. band — a ring
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bass — the fish
  17. ground — the earth
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bass — low music
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pitcher — a jug

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