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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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. ruler — for measuring
  4. band — a ring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. chest — a box
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spell — letters
  13. kick — in football
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. band — a music group
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. net — for catching
  18. chest — of your body
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spell — magic
  21. net — after costs
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bear — the animal
  24. net — in sport

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