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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. can — a tin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pass — a permit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stand — to bear
  17. can — a tin
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. nail — for a hammer

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