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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.

Make a worksheet

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: coach · chest · fall · bass · fine · game · lash · lie

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fine — all right
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. game — a match
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fall — the season
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chest — a box

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