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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 120 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. pass — a permit
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. capital — money
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pop — soda
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. capital — a city
  20. wake — a trail
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fork — in a road

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