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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rock — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bank — for money
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bass — low music
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fine — high quality
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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