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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. current — happening now
  3. toast — bread
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. net — in sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. craft — boats
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. file — a line of people
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. current — of water
  14. craft — a skill
  15. net — after costs
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. current — electric
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. rash — hasty
  21. net — for catching
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. toast — the most admired

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