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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wind — moving air
  7. suit — clothes
  8. spell — magic
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chest — a box
  13. pass — a permit
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ball — a dance
  18. spell — letters
  19. lie — to recline
  20. suit — in cards
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ball — a round shape

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