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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — the fish
  4. current — electric
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. current — of water
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bass — low music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — happening now
  11. fine — high quality
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bound — certain
  17. chest — a box
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. land — a country
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. calf — a young animal

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