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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 120 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: hand · chest · charge · trunk · snap · safe · rest · bat

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. charge — electricity
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chest — of your body
  6. charge — a price
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hand — in cards
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chest — of your body
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. charge — in control
  15. hand — help
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rest — a break
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. snap — to click
  23. chest — a box
  24. bat — the animal

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