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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chest — a box
  6. rest — what's left
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rest — a break
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rock — music
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rock — a stone
  13. object — to protest
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pop — to visit
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. object — an aim
  18. pop — music
  19. object — a thing
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pop — soda
  23. club — a group
  24. chest — of your body

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