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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. capital — money
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. race — a contest
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. capital — a city
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — a match
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. chest — a box
  20. game — wild animals
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. game — a kind of play

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