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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rock — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. hand — help
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. chest — a box
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bank — for money

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