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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mug — to rob
  3. face — part of the head
  4. last — to go on
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. last — finally
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bass — low music
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mug — a face
  20. shower — rain
  21. face — to point toward
  22. last — final
  23. face — to confront
  24. foot — a measure

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