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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — all right
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chest — a box
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. capital — money
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fine — high quality
  20. capital — a city
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hand — help

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