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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chest — a box
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rash — a series
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bass — low music
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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