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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 120 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. file — a line of people
  4. race — the arms race
  5. prune — to trim
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. ball — a dance
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — a friend
  11. race — humankind
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. file — a tool
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mate — to breed
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. race — a contest
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mate — a partner
  22. file — a document
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. deal — to handle

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