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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. last — finally
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. branch — a division
  7. chest — of your body
  8. last — final
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pop — to visit
  14. last — to go on
  15. content — happy
  16. hand — help
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rush — hurry
  19. content — the amount
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. arm — part of the body

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