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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rash — hasty
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rash — a series
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. swing — music
  10. bass — low music
  11. suit — to fit
  12. roll — a cake
  13. suit — in cards
  14. roll — a list
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. suit — clothes
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bass — the fish
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. roll — on a roll

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