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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bass — low music
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — a division
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. degree — from a university
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cue — a signal
  19. lean — thin
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — an amount
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. degree — temperature

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