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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rash — hasty
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. suit — to fit
  17. chest — a box
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — of the year
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. season — in sport
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wave — of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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