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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. chest — of your body
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. scale — in music
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spell — magic
  8. chest — a box
  9. saw — the tool
  10. dip — to sink
  11. branch — a division
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. spell — a short time
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. scale — size or range
  19. saw — the tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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