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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bass — low music
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. race — humankind
  10. net — after costs
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. net — for catching
  17. race — a contest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — in sport
  20. bass — the fish
  21. lie — to recline
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lie — an untruth

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