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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bass — low music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rest — a break
  9. ball — a dance
  10. game — a match
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bass — the fish
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. last — to go on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stand — to bear
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — final
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — finally
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hide — to keep secret

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