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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. staff — employees
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — finally
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rush — hurry
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. last — to go on
  18. bass — the fish
  19. staff — a stick
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — final

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