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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. net — for catching
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rock — music
  6. net — in sport
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. root — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. net — after costs
  13. root — the cause
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bass — low music
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. root — of a word
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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