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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 120 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. fall — the season
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitch — completely
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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