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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pound — a weight
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chest — a box
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. court — of law
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. game — a match
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chair — a leader
  15. season — of the year
  16. court — for sport
  17. season — in sport
  18. court — of a king
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pound — for dogs

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