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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. snap — to click
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chip — to eat
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. saw — the tool
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chest — a box
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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