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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. charge — in control
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cap — a hat
  6. chest — a box
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. charge — a price
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cap — of ice
  19. foot — a measure
  20. charge — electricity
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. clip — a video
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fan — a supporter

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