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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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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: cold · staff · rush · bass · band · race · fan · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rush — hurry
  4. race — a contest
  5. staff — employees
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bass — the fish
  11. band — a ring
  12. race — the arms race
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bass — low music
  19. band — a music group
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — humankind
  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