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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chest — of your body
  4. firm — steady
  5. bass — low music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bass — the fish
  13. kick — in football
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. face — to confront
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. chest — a box
  20. firm — decided
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. firm — a company
  24. hide — to keep secret

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