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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to drill
  3. club — for golf
  4. bore — to tire
  5. last — finally
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. chip — to eat
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. last — to go on
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chest — of your body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. club — a group
  17. field — farmland
  18. chest — a box
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. net — for catching
  21. field — a subject
  22. club — for dancing
  23. field — for sport
  24. last — final

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