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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pop — music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cap — a lid
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — to visit
  9. content — the amount
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pitch — completely
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pop — soda
  19. content — happy
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chest — a box
  24. nail — for a hammer

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