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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rest — a break
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. club — for golf
  9. rest — what's left
  10. club — a group
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. chest — a box
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. degree — an amount

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