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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. face — to point toward
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — to confront
  8. chest — of your body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — a box
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. march — the month
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pitcher — a jug

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