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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mug — a face
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. game — wild animals
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mug — to rob
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bass — the fish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lean — thin
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. hide — to keep secret

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