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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. season — in sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a document
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rest — what's left
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. file — a tool
  21. track — a song
  22. rule — a law
  23. chest — a box
  24. rest — a break

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