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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chest — a box
  4. roll — a cake
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. charge — electricity
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pop — soda
  11. chest — of your body
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. present — a gift
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. pop — to visit
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pop — music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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