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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. chair — a leader
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rock — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — low music
  24. bat — for baseball

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