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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: sharp · date · bass · present · chest · cell · bound · rush

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. present — a gift
  9. bass — low music
  10. bound — certain
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bass — the fish
  18. present — there
  19. chest — of your body
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bound — tied together
  22. present — the time now
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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