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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: bore · hand · mouse · ground · rash · fall · chair · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ground — a position
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fall — the season
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — a series
  24. hand — part of the body

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