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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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468
Word bank
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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chest — a box
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spell — a short time
  13. last — final
  14. chip — for betting
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spell — magic
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chip — to eat
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — letters

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