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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. track — a path
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bass — low music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. drill — a practice
  11. track — a song
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. track — to keep track
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. drill — army training
  22. row — a line
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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