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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. perch — the fish
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pit — in a race
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. snap — to click
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pit — a hole

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