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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bass — low music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. tube — a container
  9. mug — to rob
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fine — all right
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — a face
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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