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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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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: wave · bass · race · ruler · hide · lie · mug · cold

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cold — not warm
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mug — a face
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bass — the fish
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bass — low music

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