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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chest — a box
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lean — to bend
  7. date — the fruit
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. lean — thin
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bass — low music
  24. chest — of your body

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