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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — bread
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chest — a box
  9. mark — a grade
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. spring — the season

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