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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chest — a box
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cap — of ice
  12. charge — a price
  13. net — after costs
  14. shower — rain
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lean — thin
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. net — for catching
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. net — in sport
  24. stand — on your feet

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