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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fall — to drop
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bass — low music
  5. chest — a box
  6. vault — a safe
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lie — to recline
  13. fall — the season
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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