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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bass — low music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bass — the fish
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cap — of ice
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cap — a lid
  24. nail — for a hammer

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