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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rest — what's left
  3. content — the amount
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spell — magic
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spell — letters
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rash — a series
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. content — happy
  17. chest — of your body
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wake — a trail
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. swing — music
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chest — of your body

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