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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mark — a grade
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bass — low music
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ball — a great time
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chest — a box
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ball — a dance
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fine — all right

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