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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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468
Word bank
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — a box
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. chest — of your body
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pit — in a race
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. band — a ring
  19. lie — to recline
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pit — a hole
  23. band — a music group
  24. ball — a great time

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