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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spell — letters
  3. current — of water
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mate — a partner
  6. foot — a measure
  7. deal — to handle
  8. spring — of water
  9. chest — of your body
  10. current — electric
  11. firm — decided
  12. spring — the season
  13. mate — a friend
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. spring — a coil
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. firm — steady
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mate — to breed
  20. chest — a box
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. spell — magic
  23. firm — a company
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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