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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. game — a match
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chest — a box
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chest — of your body
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. band — a music group
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pop — soda
  17. band — a ring
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pop — music
  21. roll — a list
  22. pit — a hole
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pit — in a race

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