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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. kick — in football
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chest — of your body
  13. toast — bread
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. chest — a box
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. present — a gift
  24. prune — to trim

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