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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chest — a box
  5. mate — a partner
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wound — an injury
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mouse — the animal

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