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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. land — ground
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. swing — to play on
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. land — a country
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. branch — a division
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. club — for dancing
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. kid — to tease
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. land — to come down
  23. swing — music
  24. kid — child

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