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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. swing — music
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. staff — employees
  5. bass — the fish
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ground — a position
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. ground — crushed
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. kick — in football
  13. content — happy
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. swing — in golf
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. ground — the earth

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