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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — for dancing
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. chip — to eat
  9. ground — a position
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ground — crushed
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — the earth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chest — a box
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. chip — for betting
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ruler — a monarch

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