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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chest — of your body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rest — a break
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chest — of your body
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — a box
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. drill — army training
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bear — the animal

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