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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fall — the season
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lie — to recline
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. key — in music
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kid — child
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. key — for a lock
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. bass — low music

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