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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 120 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. file — a document
  3. present — the time now
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wound — an injury
  6. present — there
  7. file — a tool
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. craft — boats
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. craft — a skill
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. present — a gift
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. fall — to drop
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. chest — a box
  24. craft — a handicraft

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