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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. chest — a box
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. present — the time now
  7. rash — a series
  8. pit — a hole
  9. chest — of your body
  10. game — a match
  11. present — a gift
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. drill — the tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. present — there
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — hasty
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pit — in a race
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. drill — army training

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