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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. drill — a practice
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. drill — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bank — of a river
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bank — for money
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. craft — a skill
  13. hand — help
  14. drill — army training
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. chest — a box
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. craft — boats

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