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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.

Make a worksheet

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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. object — a thing
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. object — an aim
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chair — a leader
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chest — of your body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. object — to protest
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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