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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.

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: rock · sharp · arm · hide · bass · game · cap · kick

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rock — music
  8. cap — a lid
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cap — of ice
  11. game — a match
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. kick — in football
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rock — a stone

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