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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. roll — a list
  3. board — to get on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spell — magic
  9. march — the month
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. board — a committee
  14. spell — letters
  15. march — the month
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. march — music
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. last — final
  23. chest — a box
  24. safe — out of danger

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