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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. can — a tin
  7. key — for a lock
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. key — in music
  10. can — a tin
  11. court — of law
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chest — a box
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. court — for sport
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. charge — in control
  20. mine — for digging
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. court — of a king
  24. mine — belonging to me

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