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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mate — a friend
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chest — a box
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — in music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — to breed
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — the season
  22. root — of a word
  23. chest — of your body
  24. root — the cause

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