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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. firm — decided
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mark — a trace
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cap — of ice
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. race — the arms race
  13. spring — of water
  14. cap — a hat
  15. sharp — clever
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. spring — the season
  20. cap — a lid
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mark — a grade
  24. sharp — exactly

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