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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mate — to breed
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chest — a box
  9. mate — a partner
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fall — to drop
  13. present — a gift
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fall — the season
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pop — soda
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mate — a friend

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