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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chest — a box
  3. tube — a container
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — in sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. net — for catching
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pit — a hole
  19. net — after costs
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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