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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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468
Word bank
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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mate — to breed
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mate — a friend
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chest — a box
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wind — moving air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — gave birth

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