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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 124 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bat — the animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. shower — rain
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — low music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. sharp — clever

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