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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. tear — from crying
  5. root — of a plant
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. plane — a tool
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pop — soda
  13. root — the cause
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cold — not warm
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. root — of a word
  23. bass — low music
  24. ball — a great time

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