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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. object — an aim
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. object — a thing
  6. chest — a box
  7. object — to protest
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rash — hasty
  16. net — after costs
  17. branch — a division
  18. mark — a grade
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. net — for catching
  22. mate — to breed
  23. net — in sport
  24. safe — out of danger

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