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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. chest — of your body
  3. charge — electricity
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chest — a box
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — to confront
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. face — part of the head
  14. charge — a price
  15. court — for sport
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. spring — the season
  20. charge — in control
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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