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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. file — a tool
  4. chest — a box
  5. fall — to drop
  6. key — the most important part
  7. file — a document
  8. fall — to drop
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. key — in music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fall — the season
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. tear — from crying
  17. file — a line of people
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — shares
  20. tear — to rip
  21. deal — to handle
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stock — goods
  24. chest — of your body

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