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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. net — for catching
  4. staff — employees
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. row — a line
  8. rule — government
  9. net — after costs
  10. spring — a coil
  11. vault — a safe
  12. spring — of water
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. staff — employees
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bass — the fish
  17. net — in sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — the season
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. staff — a stick
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rule — a 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