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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. toast — bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chest — of your body
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lean — thin
  11. chest — a box
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wind — moving air
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. key — in music
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — to bend

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