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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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. track — a song
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a great time
  10. field — a subject
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cap — a hat
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. field — farmland
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lean — thin
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lean — to bend
  23. field — for sport
  24. track — a path

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