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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bass — the fish
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. last — final
  6. date — the fruit
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — to go on
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bass — low music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. last — finally
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ruler — for measuring

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