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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rule — a law
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. craft — boats
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. craft — a skill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. season — of the year
  18. lie — to recline
  19. season — in sport
  20. rule — government
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chest — a box
  24. nail — on a finger

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