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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bass — low music
  4. roll — a cake
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — for catching
  11. rest — a break
  12. roll — a list
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. net — after costs
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. net — in sport

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