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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — to bend
  8. hand — help
  9. bass — low music
  10. hand — in cards
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tube — a container
  19. lean — thin
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. racket — for tennis

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