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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bass — low music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pit — in a race
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pit — a hole
  18. file — a tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. track — a song
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. track — a path
  24. wind — moving air

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