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

Word bank: bass · lie · cold · swing · nail · last · rush · rock

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. last — finally
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rock — music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bass — low music
  13. last — final
  14. rock — a stone
  15. lie — to recline
  16. last — to go on
  17. cold — an illness
  18. swing — music
  19. cold — not warm
  20. swing — in golf
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rush — to hurry

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