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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bass — low music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pound — a weight
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fine — all right
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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