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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mate — a partner
  3. season — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — of the year
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mate — to breed
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. hand — help
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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