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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — the season
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. snap — to click
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fall — to drop
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cue — for pool
  12. march — music
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. chest — a box
  16. bank — for money
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — a stone
  19. march — the month
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bank — for money
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bank — of a river

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