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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chest — of your body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chest — a box
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. track — a path
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pit — in a race
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pit — a hole
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. drill — army training
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. drill — the tool
  20. track — a song
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. temple — side of the head

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