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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. track — a path
  6. swing — music
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. present — there
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bass — the fish
  11. chair — a leader
  12. plane — a tool
  13. present — a gift
  14. swing — to play on
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bass — low music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. saw — the tool
  22. present — the time now
  23. saw — the tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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