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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chest — of your body
  8. clip — a video
  9. ground — the earth
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. ground — crushed
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. race — a contest
  19. dip — to sink
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rest — a break
  23. chest — a box
  24. ground — a position

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