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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bass — the fish
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bass — low music
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rash — a series
  7. staff — a stick
  8. cold — not warm
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. row — to paddle
  14. club — a group
  15. staff — employees
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. row — a line
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. club — for golf
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bore — to drill

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