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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.

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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: stick · sharp · mine · pop · hide · mug · cap · bass

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mug — a face
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bass — low music
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mine — for digging
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pop — soda
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pop — music
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mine — belonging to me

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