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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. firm — decided
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. firm — a company
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. firm — steady
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. tear — from crying
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bass — the fish
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lie — to recline

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