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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mark — a trace
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bass — low music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hand — in cards
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mark — a grade
  21. hand — help
  22. last — finally
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rush — a thrill

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