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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mate — to breed
  4. lean — thin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mate — a friend
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. stock — shares
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. season — in sport
  18. stock — goods
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lean — to bend
  21. chest — a box
  22. mate — a partner
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — of the year

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