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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 124 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cell — a phone
  3. row — to paddle
  4. object — to protest
  5. cell — in biology
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. land — ground
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. land — to come down
  18. chest — a box
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. land — a country
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. object — an aim
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. object — a thing

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