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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — in sport
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. spring — of water
  15. cell — a phone
  16. season — of the year
  17. chest — a box
  18. spring — the season
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. current — happening now

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