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

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. chest — of your body
  5. row — to paddle
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bank — for money
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bank — for money
  12. bat — the animal
  13. row — a line
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. chest — a box
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bank — of a river
  18. foot — a measure

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