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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. charge — a price
  7. cue — a signal
  8. chest — a box
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. file — a document
  11. charge — in control
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cue — a hint
  14. shower — rain
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cue — for pool
  19. charge — electricity
  20. mug — a face
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chest — of your body
  23. file — a tool
  24. lie — an untruth

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