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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. snap — to click
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. date — the fruit
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chest — a box
  15. firm — a company
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. row — to paddle

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