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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. game — a match
  4. chest — of your body
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bore — to drill
  11. club — a group
  12. rock — music
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bore — to tire
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. clip — a video
  19. lie — to recline
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. lie — an untruth

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