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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pit — a hole
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pit — in a race
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lean — thin
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. chest — a box
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. hide — animal skin

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