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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bass — the fish
  3. tube — a container
  4. bass — low music
  5. last — to go on
  6. roll — a list
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. chest — of your body
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. roll — a cake
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. snap — to click
  13. tube — the underground
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stock — goods
  17. last — final
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stock — shares
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. dip — to sink
  22. last — finally
  23. chest — of your body
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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