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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bass — low music
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. chest — a box
  6. capital — money
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spring — of water
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. capital — a city
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. spring — the season
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. spring — a coil

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