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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chest — a box
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. craft — boats
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bass — low music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. tear — to rip
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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