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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chest — a box
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pop — soda
  7. row — to paddle
  8. track — a song
  9. pop — music
  10. track — a path
  11. spring — a coil
  12. present — there
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spring — of water
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spring — the season
  18. present — the time now
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. row — a line
  21. chest — of your body
  22. present — a gift
  23. track — to keep track
  24. key — in music

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