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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: charge · lie · bass · saw · chest · pit · lean · temple

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chest — a box
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bass — low music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. charge — a price
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pit — in a race
  13. charge — in control
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pit — a hole
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lean — thin

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