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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chair — a leader
  3. club — for dancing
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mate — a partner
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. club — for golf
  19. chest — a box
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. club — a group
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chest — of your body

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