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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. track — to keep track
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. track — a song
  8. chest — a box
  9. cap — a hat
  10. march — the month
  11. chest — of your body
  12. march — the month
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. march — music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. track — a path
  24. cap — a lid

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