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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bound — obliged
  3. race — a contest
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — for digging
  6. race — the arms race
  7. craft — a skill
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. swing — to play on
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. chest — a box
  13. pop — music
  14. bound — certain
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bound — tied together
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. race — humankind
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pop — soda

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