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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pop — to visit
  5. charge — in control
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. charge — electricity
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pop — music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — clothes
  15. file — a tool
  16. chest — a box
  17. pop — soda
  18. file — a line of people
  19. suit — in cards
  20. charge — a price
  21. toast — bread
  22. mate — a partner
  23. file — a document
  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