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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. file — a document
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. season — in sport
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. season — of the year
  15. file — a tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. clip — to cut
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. clip — for paper
  22. toast — bread
  23. file — a line of people
  24. arm — part of the 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