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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bass — low music
  3. lean — thin
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lean — to bend
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — in football
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stock — shares
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stock — goods
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chest — a box
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bulb — for light

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