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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 124 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rock — music
  3. mug — to rob
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mug — a face
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bass — the fish
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. clip — to cut
  19. face — to point toward
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. mug — a cup
  23. rock — a stone
  24. face — to confront

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