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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rule — a law
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rule — government
  7. spring — of water
  8. bass — low music
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. court — of law
  14. mate — to breed
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. court — of a king
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. spring — a coil
  20. court — for sport
  21. spring — the season
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mate — a friend
  24. band — a ring

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