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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: last · saw · bass · cold · mug · sharp · bear · lie

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cold — not warm
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. saw — the tool
  11. last — finally
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mug — a face
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. sharp — clever
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. last — to go on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bass — low music
  24. sharp — exactly

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