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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. object — a thing
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. object — an aim
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chest — a box
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. object — to protest
  19. capital — a city
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. trunk — of a tree

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