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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. staff — employees
  3. stock — goods
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stock — shares
  7. lie — to recline
  8. fall — the season
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. staff — a stick
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. staff — employees
  18. bass — the fish
  19. club — for golf
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fall — to drop
  22. club — a group
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. drill — army training

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