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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.

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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. season — of the year
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bass — low music
  12. chest — a box
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bulb — for light
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. hand — help
  18. season — in sport
  19. row — to paddle
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — a line
  23. bulb — for light
  24. dip — to sink

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