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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. chest — a box
  4. rock — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. present — there
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lean — thin
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. ball — a great time
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rock — a stone
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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