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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — the month
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bat — the animal
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. march — the month
  17. chest — a box
  18. march — music
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stand — to bear

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