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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: cue · bound · wake · cabinet · face · hide · bass · pop

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. pop — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pop — to visit
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bound — obliged
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pop — soda
  12. bound — certain
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bass — low music
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cue — a hint
  19. face — to confront
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cue — a signal

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