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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chest — a box
  6. ground — a position
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rest — a break
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. can — a tin
  15. ground — the earth
  16. can — a tin
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. can — to be able to

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