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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chest — a box
  12. pit — a hole
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chip — to eat

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