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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. row — a line
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ball — a round shape

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