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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chest — of your body
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pit — a hole
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chest — a box
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. foot — a measure
  17. drill — army training
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pit — in a race
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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