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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chest — a box
  4. pitch — completely
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bass — the fish
  7. file — a tool
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mug — to rob
  10. face — part of the head
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — low music
  13. mug — a face
  14. face — to confront
  15. staff — employees
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chest — of your body
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cell — a phone
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. file — a document

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