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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.

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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — a group
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. chest — a box
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. club — for golf
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bear — to put up with

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