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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — a stone
  3. current — happening now
  4. season — of the year
  5. rock — music
  6. current — electric
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. track — to keep track
  9. chest — a box
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. track — a path
  12. current — of water
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. season — in sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. clip — a video
  17. track — a song
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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