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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.

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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fall — the season
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fall — to drop
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chest — a box
  11. craft — boats
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spring — a coil
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. fall — to drop
  18. craft — a skill
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. sharp — clever

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