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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · chair · nail · scale · rush · dip · cue · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. hand — in cards
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cue — for pool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bass — the fish
  11. scale — in music
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cue — a signal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. dip — to sink
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. hand — help
  21. chair — a leader
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. nail — for a hammer

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