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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: kick · bass · rule · lean · scale · stick · roll · club

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — government
  10. club — for dancing
  11. roll — a list
  12. scale — in music
  13. kick — in football
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. scale — size or range
  19. club — for golf
  20. rule — a law
  21. club — a group
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — for weighing

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