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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. track — a song
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wax — to grow
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. track — a path
  24. racket — a loud noise

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