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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bank — of a river
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. band — a music group
  7. mug — to rob
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chest — a box
  10. court — of law
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mug — a face
  14. bank — for money
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. band — a ring
  18. bank — for money
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wound — an injury
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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