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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bass — low music
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — music
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. row — a line
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bass — the fish
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wind — moving air
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fork — in a road
  24. march — the month

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