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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spring — the season
  6. chest — a box
  7. club — for golf
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. club — a group
  18. pitch — completely
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bass — low music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — of water
  24. lean — thin

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