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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.

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
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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: last · bowl · hide · date · bass · chest · mine · trunk

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bass — the fish
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — a box
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. last — to go on
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hide — to keep secret

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