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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
468
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: mate · deal · hide · prune · stick · last · bass · sharp

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. prune — to trim
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bass — low music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mate — to breed
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. last — to go on
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mate — a friend
  18. last — finally
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hide — to keep secret

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