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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · craft · bass · rule · march · board · rash · squash

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. craft — a skill
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the sport
  5. march — music
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bass — low music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. squash — to crush
  12. board — a committee
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bass — the fish
  15. craft — boats
  16. rule — government
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. march — the month
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. board — to get on
  21. rash — a series
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rule — to rule out

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