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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. bass — low music
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. track — a path
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pitch — completely
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bass — the fish

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