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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. current — of water
  3. cell — a phone
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lie — to recline
  11. current — happening now
  12. staff — employees
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — employees
  15. rock — music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. current — electric
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rock — a stone
  24. lie — an untruth

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