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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. rash — a series
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. kick — in football
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chest — a box
  19. court — for sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bass — low music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bear — the animal

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