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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bass — low music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bass — the fish
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. suit — clothes
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. racket — for tennis

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