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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. lean — thin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. club — for golf
  8. track — to keep track
  9. club — for dancing
  10. track — a song
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chest — a box
  14. current — of water
  15. dip — to sink
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chest — of your body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. track — a path
  23. lean — to bend
  24. dip — a sauce

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