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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. sharp — clever
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ball — a dance
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. file — a tool
  11. bass — low music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. file — a document
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. tear — to rip
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bass — the instrument

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