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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.

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 · lean · kick · bass · rock · degree · chest · ground

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bass — the fish
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. kick — in football
  13. ground — the earth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rock — music
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. ground — a position
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bass — low music
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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