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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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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: cabinet · content · stand · bass · hand · rule · temple · sharp

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. content — happy
  4. bass — low music
  5. rule — a law
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rule — government
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — help
  22. stand — to bear
  23. content — the amount
  24. sharp — clever

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