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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chest — a box
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hand — help
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. toast — bread
  11. roll — a list
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. hand — in cards
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. roll — a cake
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. chest — of your body
  24. roll — on a roll

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