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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bass — the fish
  6. suit — clothes
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rash — a series
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chest — a box
  15. bat — the animal
  16. suit — in cards
  17. chest — of your body
  18. sharp — clever
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. hide — animal skin

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