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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. vault — a safe
  11. deal — to handle
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bass — the fish
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bass — low music
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wind — to turn a key

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