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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cue — a signal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. current — happening now
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. current — of water
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. tube — a container
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chest — of your body
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. chest — a box
  21. current — electric
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mug — a face

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