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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 120 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: staff · object · charge · cabinet · bass · hide · mine · snap

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bass — low music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. charge — in control
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. charge — electricity
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. object — an aim
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. object — a thing
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. snap — to click
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. staff — employees
  23. charge — a price
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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