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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — the season
  3. chest — a box
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bank — for money
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pound — a weight
  12. game — a match
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bank — for money
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rash — a series
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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