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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rock — a stone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — to go on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. last — final
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. chest — a box
  13. roll — a list
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. last — finally
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rock — music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. chest — of your body
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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