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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: cold · plane · kick · pop · bass · court · rush · hide

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. bass — low music
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. court — of law
  9. kick — in football
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rush — hurry
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cold — not warm
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cold — an illness
  21. court — for sport
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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