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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bass — low music
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. toast — bread
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rash — hasty
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rock — music
  16. cell — a phone
  17. drill — the tool
  18. roll — a list
  19. rash — a series
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. hand — help
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bass — the fish

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