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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cap — of ice
  3. charge — a price
  4. key — in music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. shower — rain
  10. key — for a lock
  11. charge — in control
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cap — a hat
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. chest — a box
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. key — the most important part
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cap — a lid
  21. hand — help
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chest — of your body

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