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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. root — the cause
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. root — of a word
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spell — letters
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. last — final
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. last — to go on
  16. root — of a plant
  17. last — finally
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. net — in sport
  21. bass — low music
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wave — with your hand

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