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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rest — what's left
  5. track — to keep track
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. track — a song
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. chest — a box
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rash — hasty
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. track — a path
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rash — a series

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