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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: ground · cue · lean · staff · capital · hide · bass · sharp

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. sharp — clever
  3. capital — money
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. staff — a stick
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cue — for pool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — low music
  10. ground — a position
  11. lean — to bend
  12. ground — the earth
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cue — a hint
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lean — thin
  19. capital — a city
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. capital — a big letter

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