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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 116 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: cabinet · court · pop · lean · swing · hide · bass · staff

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lean — to bend
  4. swing — music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. court — of law
  10. pop — music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. staff — employees
  13. pop — soda
  14. bass — low music
  15. staff — employees
  16. lean — thin
  17. pop — to visit
  18. swing — to play on
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. swing — in golf
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cabinet — ministers

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