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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.

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: rash · bass · shower · chair · chest · clip · temple · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. shower — rain
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bass — low music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rash — hasty
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chest — a box
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bass — the fish
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rash — a series
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chair — to sit on

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