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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 120 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. race — humankind
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bass — low music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rock — music
  10. mate — a partner
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bass — the fish
  14. net — in sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. net — after costs
  18. rock — a stone
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. net — for catching
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mate — a friend

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