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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rest — what's left
  3. roll — a list
  4. rest — a break
  5. charge — in control
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — a box
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mug — a cup
  12. roll — a cake
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rest — what's left
  20. charge — a price
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stem — to come from

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