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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. present — a gift
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bank — for money
  10. dip — to sink
  11. present — there
  12. spell — letters
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. spell — a short time
  18. present — the time now
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bank — for money
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chest — a box
  24. spell — magic

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