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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. face — to point toward
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — in music
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mine — for digging
  12. face — to confront
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. face — part of the head
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — humankind
  18. chest — a box
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chest — of your body
  21. scale — size or range
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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