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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. face — part of the head
  9. chest — a box
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — to point toward
  15. file — a document
  16. face — to confront
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. file — a tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. can — to be able to
  23. file — a line of people
  24. calf — of the leg

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