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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — in sport
  3. chest — a box
  4. season — of the year
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. last — final
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. current — happening now
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mate — to breed
  15. last — to go on
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. chest — of your body
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wax — to grow
  24. last — finally

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