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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: ruler · lash · land · pass · hide · bass · field · cue

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cue — a hint
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. field — farmland
  9. land — ground
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bass — low music
  14. land — to come down
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. land — a country
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pass — a permit

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