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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. perch — the fish
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. chest — a box
  11. march — the month
  12. track — to keep track
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rush — hurry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. track — a song
  18. race — a contest
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. race — humankind
  24. track — a path

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