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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rock — music
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fine — all right
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bass — the fish
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chair — a leader
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chest — a box
  24. bass — low music

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