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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rash — a series
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ball — a dance
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — the animal
  12. drill — army training
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pop — music
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pop — soda
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bass — low music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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