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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chest — of your body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. land — ground
  13. hand — help
  14. land — a country
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wake — a trail
  18. land — to come down
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. face — to confront
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wake — before a funeral

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