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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. last — to go on
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — finally
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — to confront
  18. chest — a box
  19. fall — the season
  20. last — final
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. face — part of the head
  24. patient — a sick person

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