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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spring — of water
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — to bend
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. game — a match
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lean — thin
  14. spring — the season
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — wild animals
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chest — a box
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. chest — of your body
  24. degree — from a university

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