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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — low music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cue — for pool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rock — music
  10. cue — a hint
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rest — a break
  13. spring — the season
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. staff — employees
  18. cue — a signal
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. spring — of water
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hide — to keep secret

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