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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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 tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. squash — the sport
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. file — a document
  16. current — of water
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. current — electric
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. current — happening now
  22. chest — a box
  23. foot — a measure
  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