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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: fork · rule · chest · sharp · staff · charge · bass · lie

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rule — government
  6. staff — a stick
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bass — low music
  10. chest — a box
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. chest — of your body
  16. staff — employees
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. staff — employees
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rule — a law
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. charge — a price

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