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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a music group
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. drill — the tool
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chest — of your body
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wake — a trail
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a ring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. drill — army training
  18. key — for a lock
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. drill — a practice
  21. key — in music
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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