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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: bass · rash · file · bear · fall · jam · safe · drill

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. file — a document
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. drill — army training
  11. bear — the animal
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fall — the season
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. file — a tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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