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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fall — to drop
  5. land — a country
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. kick — in football
  13. pit — in a race
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. land — to come down
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pit — a hole
  22. land — ground
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chest — a box

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