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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chest — a box
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. roll — a cake
  15. can — a tin
  16. cue — a hint
  17. can — a tin
  18. roll — a list
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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