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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. chest — a box
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. scale — in music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rock — music
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chip — for betting
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. scale — size or range
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rock — a stone

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