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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. perch — the fish
  12. can — a tin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — help
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. game — a match
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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