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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chest — a box
  3. staff — a stick
  4. can — to be able to
  5. staff — employees
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bass — low music
  8. craft — boats
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mug — a face
  13. can — a tin
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. staff — employees
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mug — to rob
  19. chest — of your body
  20. can — a tin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. craft — a skill
  24. kick — in football

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