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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. ground — a position
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bass — low music
  5. pass — a permit
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rash — a series
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lash — an eyelash

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