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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. tear — from crying
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chest — of your body
  21. squash — the sport
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. squash — to crush
  24. safe — out of danger

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