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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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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: bass · chest · charge · squash · rest · suit · lie · mate

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chest — a box
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bass — low music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. suit — in cards
  8. charge — a price
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rest — what's left
  12. suit — clothes
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lie — to recline
  15. charge — electricity
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rest — a break
  22. suit — to fit
  23. charge — in control
  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