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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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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: dip · bass · cap · lean · mate · court · rash · row

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rash — hasty
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rash — a series
  8. cap — of ice
  9. lean — to bend
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lean — thin
  14. cap — a hat
  15. dip — to sink
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. row — a line
  20. mate — a partner
  21. court — of law
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cap — a lid
  24. row — to paddle

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