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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. staff — employees
  8. land — ground
  9. file — a line of people
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. net — in sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. staff — employees
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lie — an untruth

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