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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. perch — the fish
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. clip — to cut
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. toast — bread
  11. clip — a video
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — a friend
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rest — a break
  16. chest — a box
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — clever
  20. clip — for paper
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rest — what's left
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. mate — to breed

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