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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wax — to grow
  4. squash — the sport
  5. plane — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. squash — to crush
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bass — low music
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. track — a path
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. track — a song
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bass — the fish

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