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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rest — what's left
  4. club — for golf
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spell — magic
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. club — a group
  14. cell — a phone
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cell — in biology
  19. spell — letters
  20. chest — a box
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. plane — an aircraft

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