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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. shower — rain
  6. bank — for money
  7. chest — a box
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bank — for money
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. toast — bread
  21. shower — to wash
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bank — of a river

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