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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. file — a tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bass — low music
  14. wake — a trail
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. track — a path
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. file — a document
  19. track — a song
  20. court — for sport
  21. bass — the fish
  22. court — of a king
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. court — of law

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