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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. firm — decided
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bass — low music
  7. lean — thin
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. band — a music group
  14. firm — steady
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. dip — to sink
  17. band — a ring
  18. cue — a hint
  19. firm — a company
  20. cue — for pool
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cue — a signal

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