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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chest — a box
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — low music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — in biology
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hand — in cards
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bass — the fish
  19. hand — help
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. cell — in a prison

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