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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: deal · chest · season · last · bear · mouse · can · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chest — a box
  4. can — a tin
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. last — to go on
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — final
  12. bass — the fish
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. last — finally
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. season — of the year
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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