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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. staff — employees
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. staff — employees
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — to point toward
  14. degree — temperature
  15. face — to confront
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — part of the head
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bass — the fish
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lie — to recline

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