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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. key — in music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. object — a thing
  11. present — a gift
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. present — there
  14. object — an aim
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. object — to protest
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — the time now
  23. key — the most important part
  24. row — a line

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