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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 116 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. can — a tin
  5. lie — to recline
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bass — low music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. can — a tin
  10. ground — a position
  11. club — a group
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pop — soda

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