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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. squash — to crush
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. roll — a cake
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. roll — a list
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bear — the animal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. arm — part of the body

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