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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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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: nail · wake · bass · foot · roll · pit · rock · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bass — low music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. kid — child
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rock — a stone
  13. roll — a list
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bass — the fish
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rock — music
  24. nail — on a finger

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