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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chest — a box
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. snap — to click
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cap — of ice
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rest — a break
  16. kick — in football
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chair — a leader

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