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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lie — to recline
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. net — in sport
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. ground — a position
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bass — the fish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. ground — the earth
  18. net — after costs
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. net — for catching
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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