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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. capital — money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bass — the fish
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bass — low music
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chest — a box
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. capital — a city

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