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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bass — low music
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ball — a dance
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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