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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. current — electric
  3. foot — a measure
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tube — a container
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. current — of water
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. current — happening now
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chest — a box
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tube — the underground
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lie — to recline
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cabinet — ministers

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