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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. object — an aim
  10. chest — a box
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pound — a weight
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chest — of your body
  18. object — a thing
  19. date — the fruit
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — to protest
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mouse — the animal

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