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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. craft — boats
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — the fish
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. sharp — clever
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. hand — help
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. hand — in cards
  18. craft — a skill
  19. chest — a box
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bass — low music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — for a computer

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