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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · rock · racket · chest · nail · tear · temple · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rock — a stone
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chest — a box
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. row — to paddle
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rock — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cell — in biology
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. tear — to rip
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. row — a line

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