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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · last · court · rush · bass · race · season · sharp

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — in sport
  6. court — of law
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. sharp — clever
  9. season — of the year
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. court — of a king
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. race — humankind
  18. last — finally
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. last — final
  21. court — for sport
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bass — low music

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