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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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Word bank
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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — a short time
  13. present — the time now
  14. mate — a partner
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. kick — in football
  18. spell — letters
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mate — to breed
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. spell — magic
  24. kick — a thrill

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