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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rash — a series
  5. suit — clothes
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. clip — a video
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chest — of your body
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. present — there
  12. rash — hasty
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. present — a gift
  17. face — to point toward
  18. present — the time now
  19. face — to confront
  20. chest — a box
  21. clip — to cut
  22. suit — in cards
  23. snap — to click
  24. suit — to fit

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