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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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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  2. hand — help
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bass — the fish
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. last — to go on
  12. race — the arms race
  13. last — final
  14. race — a contest
  15. last — finally
  16. race — humankind
  17. mug — a face
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mug — to rob
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mug — a cup
  23. hand — in cards
  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