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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. file — a document
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. file — a tool
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. chest — of your body
  12. race — humankind
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pound — a weight
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. race — a contest
  20. chest — a box
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. file — a line of people
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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