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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. club — for dancing
  4. race — a contest
  5. present — a gift
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. field — farmland
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. club — a group
  14. field — for sport
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. chest — a box
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. club — for golf
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — a subject
  24. toast — bread

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