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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rush — hurry
  5. can — to be able to
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mate — to breed
  9. can — a tin
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. can — a tin
  19. chest — a box
  20. mate — a friend
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. snap — to click

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