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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bass — low music
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mug — a cup
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bore — to tire
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. staff — employees
  17. bore — to drill
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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