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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chest — a box
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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