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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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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: sharp · cell · bass · row · pass · perch · mouse · hide

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. row — a line
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pass — a permit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — to paddle
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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