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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. can — a tin
  9. ball — a great time
  10. can — a tin
  11. sharp — clever
  12. file — a document
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a tool
  24. bear — to put up with

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