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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tube — a container
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. spell — a short time
  10. shower — rain
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. spell — magic
  13. deal — to handle
  14. spell — letters
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. deal — an agreement

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