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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pop — soda
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pop — to visit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. saw — the tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pop — music
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bass — the fish
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. chest — a box
  17. suit — clothes
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. plane — a tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chest — of your body

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