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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 116 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: staff · bass · ruler · mouse · land · cabinet · hand · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. staff — employees
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — a country
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. land — ground
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. last — finally
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — low music
  15. last — to go on
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bass — the fish
  22. staff — employees
  23. land — to come down
  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