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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: bass · charge · chest · lie · sharp · straw · wave · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. charge — in control
  3. chest — of your body
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. charge — a price
  7. bass — low music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bass — the fish
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. lie — to recline
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. chest — a box
  24. wave — with your hand

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