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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — the amount
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bound — obliged
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bound — certain
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — of the year
  14. roll — a cake
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — in sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. content — happy
  19. prune — to trim
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chest — a box
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mug — to rob

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