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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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Word bank
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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: land · chest · suit · spring · mate · object · pitcher · race

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — a country
  4. suit — in cards
  5. chest — of your body
  6. suit — to fit
  7. spring — of water
  8. land — to come down
  9. object — a thing
  10. race — a contest
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. land — ground
  15. mate — a friend
  16. object — to protest
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. race — humankind
  19. chest — a box
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — an aim
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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