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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. club — for golf
  5. rest — what's left
  6. game — a match
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. game — wild animals
  14. present — there
  15. club — a group
  16. rest — a break
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. chest — a box
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. club — for dancing
  23. chest — of your body
  24. scale — in music

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