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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. net — in sport
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. net — for catching
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bear — the animal
  12. net — after costs
  13. can — a tin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bear — the animal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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