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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bass — low music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — after costs
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ground — a position
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. net — in sport
  22. rest — a break
  23. net — for catching
  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