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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: sharp · bass · content · season · drill · cabinet · chest · rush

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bass — low music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chest — a box
  8. season — of the year
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. season — in sport

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