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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pop — soda
  3. staff — employees
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bass — low music
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pop — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pit — a hole
  20. staff — employees
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bank — for money
  23. bat — the animal
  24. ground — a position

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