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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 was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chest — a box
  5. object — to protest
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. toast — bread
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bat — the animal
  17. date — the fruit
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. object — a thing
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. object — an aim

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