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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. face — to confront
  4. rule — a law
  5. snap — to click
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. face — part of the head
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chest — a box
  18. bulb — for light
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. hide — animal skin

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