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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. foot — a measure
  3. row — to paddle
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. scale — in music
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. kick — in football
  8. scale — size or range
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. row — a line
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bass — the fish

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