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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rash — hasty
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — for dancing
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. kick — in football
  13. rash — a series
  14. board — a committee
  15. dip — to sink
  16. club — a group
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. staff — a stick
  21. board — to get on
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. club — for golf
  24. bass — the fish

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