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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cue — a hint
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. can — a tin
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lie — to recline
  14. band — a ring
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cue — a signal
  19. band — a music group
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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