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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. march — the month
  7. file — a document
  8. march — music
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. march — the month
  11. file — a line of people
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. file — a tool
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. suit — in cards
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — a line
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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