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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. firm — steady
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chest — a box
  8. bank — for money
  9. current — of water
  10. file — a tool
  11. suit — in cards
  12. mate — to breed
  13. firm — decided
  14. cold — an illness
  15. current — electric
  16. suit — to fit
  17. cold — not warm
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. firm — a company
  22. suit — clothes
  23. file — a document
  24. current — happening now

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