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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. suit — clothes
  5. chest — of your body
  6. content — happy
  7. chair — a leader
  8. current — of water
  9. suit — to fit
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. current — electric
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. current — happening now
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chest — a box
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. mouse — the animal

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