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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. file — a tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. current — of water
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chest — a box
  16. bear — the animal
  17. current — electric
  18. file — a document
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. current — happening now
  23. rule — government
  24. can — a tin

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