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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pit — a hole
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pit — in a race
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. foot — a measure
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. chest — a box
  21. ball — a great time
  22. charge — in control
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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