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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — of water
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rash — a series
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spring — the season
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pass — a permit
  24. staff — employees

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