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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
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: bear · last · cue · court · mine · wound · hide · bass

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wound — an injury
  3. court — for sport
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. last — finally
  8. court — of a king
  9. last — final
  10. court — of law
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. last — to go on

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