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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mug — a face
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. mug — to rob
  8. file — a tool
  9. race — humankind
  10. bank — of a river
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bank — for money
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. race — a contest
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bear — the animal
  20. race — the arms race
  21. file — a document
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mug — a cup

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