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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. last — finally
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. last — final
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rule — a law
  16. chest — a box
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. toast — bread
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. last — to go on
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rule — government

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