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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. present — a gift
  10. mark — a trace
  11. present — the time now
  12. lean — to bend
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. lean — thin
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chest — a box
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — there
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rush — to hurry

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