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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. charge — in control
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. season — in sport
  6. charge — a price
  7. dip — to sink
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. file — a document
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. file — a tool
  20. charge — electricity
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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