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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pit — in a race
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. firm — a company
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pit — a hole
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. foot — a measure
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chest — a box
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fall — the season
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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