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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. track — a path
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. track — a song
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pass — a permit
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. chest — a box
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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