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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rash — a series
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. race — a contest
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chest — a box

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