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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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. lie — an untruth
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bear — the animal
  8. snap — to click
  9. rule — government
  10. bass — the fish
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rule — a law
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. craft — boats
  20. chest — a box
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. craft — a skill

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