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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bass — low music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. squash — the sport
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. drill — army training
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wax — to grow
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bat — the animal
  24. drill — the tool

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