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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: straw · rule · content · mate · chest · rock · present · fan

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chest — a box
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rule — government
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. content — the amount
  13. present — the time now
  14. rock — a stone
  15. present — a gift
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. content — happy
  19. rule — a law
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mate — a partner
  22. present — there
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rock — music

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