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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 112 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. band — a ring
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. swing — music
  13. present — there
  14. kick — in football
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. shower — to wash
  17. swing — to play on
  18. band — a music group
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. present — a gift
  23. shower — rain
  24. present — the time now

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