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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ground — a position
  4. bank — for money
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rule — a law
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bank — for money
  10. bass — the fish
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bank — of a river
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rule — government
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. spring — a coil
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. chest — a box
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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