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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — all right
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rock — music
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. fork — in a road
  9. land — a country
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fall — the season
  12. land — to come down
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fine — high quality
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. land — ground
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chest — a box
  24. rock — to move gently

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