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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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 — a box
  2. mine — for digging
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mate — to breed
  5. shower — rain
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — of the year
  8. staff — employees
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rule — government
  11. season — in sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rule — a law
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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