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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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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 · chest · pit · leaves · wake · racket · fork · kid

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. fork — in a road
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bass — low music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chest — a box
  14. kid — to tease
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wake — a trail
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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