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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. can — to be able to
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fine — high quality
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mug — a cup
  13. snap — to click
  14. mug — a face
  15. can — a tin
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fine — all right
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. band — a music group

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