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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. can — a tin
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. can — to be able to
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mug — to rob
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. scale — in music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. can — a tin
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. scale — size or range
  24. temple — side of the head

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