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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bore — to drill
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. board — to get on
  7. track — to keep track
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. track — a path
  11. board — a committee
  12. shower — rain
  13. track — a song
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chest — of your body
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. chest — a box
  23. bore — to tire
  24. swing — to play on

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