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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chest — of your body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. snap — to click
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cap — a hat
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chest — a box

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