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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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468
Word bank
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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. capital — a city
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. race — a contest
  12. rush — hurry
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chest — a box
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chest — of your body
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rest — a break
  24. capital — money

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