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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — a cake
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. sharp — clever
  17. row — a line
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. row — to paddle
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cabinet — ministers

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