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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. board — to get on
  6. chest — a box
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. board — a committee
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rock — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. branch — a division
  19. rock — a stone
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hide — animal skin
  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