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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mark — a trace
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bass — the fish
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — music
  21. plane — a tool
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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