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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. file — a document
  3. chest — a box
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spell — magic
  6. ball — a dance
  7. file — a tool
  8. press — to push
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bore — to tire
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. file — a line of people
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bore — to drill

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