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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bass — low music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lean — thin
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rash — a series
  17. kid — child
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pitch — completely
  21. shower — rain
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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