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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. object — an aim
  4. court — for sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — of law
  7. file — a tool
  8. object — to protest
  9. tear — from crying
  10. file — a document
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bass — low music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. object — a thing
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — of a king
  17. tear — to rip
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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