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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. staff — employees
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lean — to bend
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. land — a country
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. staff — employees
  10. land — ground
  11. lean — thin
  12. staff — a stick
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. kick — in football
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cell — in biology
  19. land — to come down
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bass — low music
  24. chair — a leader

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