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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. game — a match
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. last — finally
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bore — to tire
  8. lean — to bend
  9. file — a document
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. bass — low music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pop — music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rock — music
  18. bore — to drill
  19. last — final
  20. lean — thin
  21. last — to go on
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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