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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. present — a gift
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. present — there
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cell — in biology
  16. field — farmland
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. present — the time now
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — the fish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. racket — for tennis

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