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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — low music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bass — the fish
  10. lean — thin
  11. chest — a box
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kid — child
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chair — a professorship

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