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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 120 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bass — the fish
  9. scale — in music
  10. rash — hasty
  11. staff — employees
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. race — a contest
  22. bass — low music
  23. race — humankind
  24. scale — size or range

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