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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 120 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: chest · bass · trunk · mug · board · hide · race · track

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bass — the fish
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. chest — a box
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mug — a face
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mug — to rob
  11. board — to get on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. chest — of your body
  17. race — humankind
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. board — a committee
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mug — a cup
  22. race — a contest
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. chest — of your body

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