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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — low music
  8. club — a group
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mug — a cup
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mug — a face
  22. club — for golf
  23. fall — the season
  24. mug — to rob

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