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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bass · mine · rest · can · clip · foot · cold · staff

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cold — an illness
  4. clip — a video
  5. can — to be able to
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bass — the fish
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rest — what's left
  12. foot — a measure
  13. can — a tin
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. staff — employees
  22. can — a tin
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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