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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — happening now
  4. chest — of your body
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. pop — soda
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. current — of water
  10. chest — a box
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. current — electric
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pop — music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ball — a dance

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