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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bass — low music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cold — not warm
  10. drill — a practice
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stem — to come from
  14. staff — a stick
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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