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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. key — in music
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bank — for money
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bank — for money
  15. rule — government
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pit — in a race
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rule — a law
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — a box
  24. bank — of a river

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