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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rush — hurry
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rest — a break
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rest — what's left
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. game — a match
  14. clip — for paper
  15. game — wild animals
  16. board — a committee
  17. clip — a video
  18. craft — a skill
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bass — low music
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. board — to get on

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