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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bass — low music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. ground — a position
  9. track — a song
  10. cue — a hint
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cue — for pool
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — crushed
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. swing — music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tear — to rip
  22. swing — in golf
  23. ground — the earth
  24. tear — from crying

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