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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. snap — to click
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spring — the season
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. spring — a coil
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bass — low music
  24. racket — a loud noise

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