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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chest — of your body
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bass — low music
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. charge — in control
  23. squash — the sport
  24. saw — the tool

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