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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bass — the fish
  9. dip — to sink
  10. drill — army training
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bass — low music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rule — a law
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rule — government

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