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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hand · calf · bass · cabinet · mug · pitcher · hide · bound

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bass — low music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mug — a face
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bound — certain
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mug — a cup
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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