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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. chest — of your body
  3. key — in music
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chest — a box
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. key — the most important part
  9. content — the amount
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — low music
  15. content — happy
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. kick — in football
  19. key — for a lock
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bass — the instrument
  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