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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spring — of water
  3. board — a committee
  4. staff — employees
  5. chest — a box
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. spring — the season
  9. tube — a container
  10. mate — a partner
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mate — a friend
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ball — a dance
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. ball — a great time
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. board — to get on
  24. mate — to breed

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