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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. branch — a division
  6. chest — a box
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — to cut
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. clip — for paper
  13. last — to go on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. last — finally
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mark — a grade
  18. clip — a video
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mug — a face
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. last — final

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