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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. object — a thing
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. current — electric
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. object — an aim
  10. chest — a box
  11. club — for golf
  12. object — to protest
  13. land — to come down
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. club — a group
  17. land — a country
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. club — for dancing
  21. current — of water
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. land — ground
  24. lash — an eyelash

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