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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. scale — in music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. roll — a list
  11. pass — a permit
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bass — the fish
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. roll — a cake
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. scale — size or range
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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