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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: bass · trunk · sharp · hide · cabinet · bore · game · cue

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cue — for pool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. game — a match
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cue — a signal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — wild animals
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bore — to drill
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cabinet — ministers

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