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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: mug · snap · chest · rest · ball · toast · hand · bowl

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. snap — to click
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. hand — help
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mug — a face
  13. ball — a great time
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mug — to rob
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. chest — a box
  21. toast — bread
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bowl — a dish

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