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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. net — in sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mug — to rob
  5. object — to protest
  6. net — after costs
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. net — for catching
  10. chest — a box
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. chest — of your body
  15. object — a thing
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mug — a face
  20. cap — of ice
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. object — an aim
  24. mouse — for a computer

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