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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. staff — employees
  4. spell — letters
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rest — a break
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hand — help
  17. staff — employees
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — magic
  24. staff — a stick

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