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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. chest — a box
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rash — a series
  11. squash — the sport
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. shower — rain
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bank — for money
  24. squash — the vegetable

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