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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — to sink
  5. club — a group
  6. wake — a trail
  7. board — a committee
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. vault — a safe
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. board — to get on
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. branch — a division
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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