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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mug — a cup
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chest — of your body
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chest — a box
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wake — a trail
  24. board — a committee

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