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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chest — of your body
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a dance
  8. mine — for digging
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chest — a box
  11. ball — a great time
  12. face — to confront
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hand — help
  15. face — to point toward
  16. staff — employees
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. chest — of your body
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. hand — in cards
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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