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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bass — low music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. race — a contest
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rule — government
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. race — humankind
  17. scale — in music
  18. race — the arms race
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lie — to recline
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. rule — a law

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