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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rush — hurry
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mate — to breed
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. ball — a great time
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — low music
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ball — a dance

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