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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: bass · hide · ruler · cell · spell · pound · last · game

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. last — finally
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spell — magic
  5. pound — a weight
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. last — final
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bass — the fish
  13. game — a match
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. spell — letters
  17. last — to go on
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bass — low music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. ruler — for measuring

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