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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. staff — a stick
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cold — not warm
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — low music
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rest — a break
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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