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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. scale — in music
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bass — low music
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. scale — size or range
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rash — a series
  12. bound — certain
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bound — obliged
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bass — the fish

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