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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. tear — from crying
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chest — a box
  20. tear — to rip
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. safe — out of danger

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