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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. degree — an amount
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chest — a box
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. tube — a container
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. saw — the tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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