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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bass — low music
  10. roll — a cake
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pop — to visit
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cold — not warm
  22. roll — a list
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bass — the instrument

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