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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. scale — in music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bat — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bass — low music
  15. cell — in biology
  16. scale — size or range
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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