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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · chest · dip · squash · last · hide · chair · bass

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bass — low music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. squash — the sport
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. squash — to crush
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. last — to go on
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chest — of your body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bass — the fish
  24. dip — to dunk

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