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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chest — of your body
  3. race — a contest
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. current — of water
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. current — electric
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. race — humankind
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. row — a line
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. hand — help
  21. race — the arms race
  22. deal — to handle
  23. row — to paddle
  24. hand — in cards

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