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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · lash · stick · chest · bass · ground · current · degree

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ground — a position
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. ground — the earth
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chest — a box
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. current — happening now
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. current — of water
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. current — electric
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chest — of your body

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