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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. land — ground
  7. firm — a company
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. land — to come down
  11. chest — a box
  12. firm — decided
  13. wax — to grow
  14. kid — to tease
  15. land — a country
  16. firm — steady
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. kid — child
  23. rest — a break
  24. cabinet — ministers

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