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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. prune — to trim
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — a country
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. land — ground
  10. prune — to trim
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chest — of your body
  14. land — to come down
  15. tube — the underground
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. chest — a box
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pit — in a race
  24. temple — a place of worship

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