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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. craft — a skill
  6. root — of a word
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chest — a box
  9. drill — army training
  10. object — an aim
  11. pit — in a race
  12. craft — boats
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bass — the fish
  15. root — of a plant
  16. object — a thing
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. object — to protest
  21. drill — the tool
  22. root — the cause
  23. chest — of your body
  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