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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
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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: last · rock · stand · land · cold · kick · bass · ruler

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. last — final
  9. rock — music
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. land — a country
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. last — to go on
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rock — a stone
  17. land — to come down
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. kick — in football
  20. bass — low music
  21. land — ground
  22. last — finally
  23. cold — an illness
  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