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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 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mug — to rob
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chest — a box
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. foot — the bottom

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