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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. spring — the season
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. face — to point toward
  13. deal — to handle
  14. spring — of water
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. can — a tin
  21. chest — a box
  22. face — to confront
  23. can — a tin
  24. mine — an explosive

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