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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. chest — a box
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kick — in football
  9. branch — a division
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. track — a song
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. track — a path
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bound — obliged
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. track — to keep track

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