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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fall — the season
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bass — low music
  21. kick — in football
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. rock — music

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