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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.

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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rest — a break
  13. shower — rain
  14. chest — a box
  15. clip — to cut
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. clip — a video
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rest — what's left

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