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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. dip — to sink
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cue — a hint
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. march — the month
  12. cue — a signal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chest — a box
  18. firm — decided
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — a company
  22. march — music
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bat — the animal

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