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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chest — a box
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. roll — a cake
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. kick — in football
  17. rush — hurry
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. roll — a list
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hide — to keep secret

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