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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rash — a series
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. fine — all right
  9. chest — a box
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. march — the month
  18. race — humankind
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. march — music
  22. race — a contest
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ruler — for measuring

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