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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chest — of your body
  6. court — of law
  7. chest — a box
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kick — in football
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. snap — to click
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kick — a thrill

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