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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bass — the fish
  3. object — an aim
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. object — to protest
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pop — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. squash — to crush
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. object — a thing
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pop — soda
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. roll — a list
  24. bass — low music

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