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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. staff — employees
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. bass — the fish
  10. net — after costs
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bass — low music
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — in sport
  21. branch — a division
  22. net — for catching
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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