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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. key — the most important part
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fine — all right
  17. shower — rain
  18. fine — high quality
  19. key — in music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cold — an illness
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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