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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. perch — the fish
  5. firm — decided
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chest — of your body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. firm — a company
  12. chest — a box
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. drill — army training
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bank — for money
  17. game — a match
  18. bank — of a river
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hand — help
  21. firm — steady
  22. bank — for money
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. game — wild animals

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