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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. object — an aim
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cue — a hint
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — low music
  11. row — to paddle
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chest — a box
  18. cue — for pool
  19. object — a thing
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. object — to protest
  22. cue — a signal
  23. row — a line
  24. chest — of your body

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