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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. last — final
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. tear — from crying
  7. last — to go on
  8. chest — a box
  9. last — finally
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. net — in sport
  12. track — a path
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. net — for catching
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — from crying
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chair — a leader
  21. tear — to rip
  22. net — after costs
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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