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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · bass · rash · stand · toast · wound · pit · scale

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rash — a series
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stand — to bear
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. toast — bread
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rash — hasty
  15. land — a country
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. scale — in music
  18. land — ground
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pit — in a race
  22. land — to come down
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bass — low music

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