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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pop — soda
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pop — music
  10. suit — in cards
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rash — a series
  14. pop — to visit
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. scale — size or range
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. staff — employees
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. scale — in music

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