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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. key — in music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. land — ground
  11. key — the most important part
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chest — a box
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. snap — to click
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pitch — completely
  23. toast — bread
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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