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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rash — a series
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spell — letters
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bass — the fish
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bass — low music
  13. row — a line
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. chest — a box
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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