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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — a phone
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. snap — to click
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chest — a box
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mate — to breed

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