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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.

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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: stand · bass · chest · row · cue · rash · perch · pit

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bass — low music
  3. row — a line
  4. pit — a hole
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rash — hasty
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stand — to bear
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — the instrument

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