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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rash — a series
  3. ball — a dance
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. track — a path
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bass — the fish
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. ball — a great time
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. track — a song
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. plane — a tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wake — a trail

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