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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. last — finally
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chest — a box
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bass — low music
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fall — the season
  15. chest — of your body
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. club — for golf
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. club — a group
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fall — to drop

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