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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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. object — a thing
  4. club — for golf
  5. pop — to visit
  6. club — for dancing
  7. object — to protest
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. club — a group
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. net — after costs
  17. pop — music
  18. net — in sport
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. net — for catching
  22. pop — soda
  23. object — an aim
  24. mine — for digging

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