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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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. march — music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fall — to drop
  8. content — the amount
  9. charge — electricity
  10. firm — steady
  11. chest — a box
  12. march — the month
  13. firm — a company
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. content — happy
  20. march — the month
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. firm — decided
  24. ruler — for measuring

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