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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bank — for money
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rule — government
  5. craft — a skill
  6. chest — a box
  7. bank — for money
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. swing — in golf
  10. craft — boats
  11. hand — help
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rule — a law
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bank — of a river
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kick — in football
  24. chest — of your 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