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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bass — low music
  3. fine — all right
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. wake — a trail
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. suit — in cards
  11. fine — high quality
  12. club — for golf
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. suit — to fit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spring — a coil
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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