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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. season — in sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — of your body
  10. face — part of the head
  11. row — a line
  12. chest — of your body
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. saw — the tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. rest — a break
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — of water
  24. row — to paddle

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