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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chest — a box
  4. march — the month
  5. press — to push
  6. shower — rain
  7. bass — low music
  8. firm — a company
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rash — a series
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. march — the month
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bass — the fish
  20. firm — decided
  21. press — a publisher
  22. firm — steady
  23. press — newspapers
  24. march — music

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