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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. track — a song
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. object — to protest
  8. club — for golf
  9. object — an aim
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. track — a path
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wax — to grow
  14. plane — a tool
  15. object — a thing
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. club — a group

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