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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bass — low music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. object — an aim
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. track — a path
  9. bat — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bass — the fish
  13. track — a song
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. object — a thing
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. object — to protest
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wave — with your hand

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