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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. suit — to fit
  4. present — there
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mark — a trace
  8. present — the time now
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. present — a gift
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rush — hurry
  19. track — a path
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. suit — clothes
  22. chest — a box
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. suit — in cards

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