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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. capital — a city
  6. chest — a box
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rock — music
  10. firm — steady
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. firm — decided
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. capital — money
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fall — the season
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. firm — a company
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mine — for digging

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