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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fine — all right
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — a city
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chest — of your body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — money
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mug — a face
  23. ball — a dance
  24. fine — high quality

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