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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wake — a trail
  4. tear — to rip
  5. club — a group
  6. bass — the fish
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. present — a gift
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. present — there
  17. bass — low music
  18. ground — a position
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. present — the time now
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wake — before a funeral

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