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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. chest — a box
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ground — the earth
  7. object — an aim
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. dip — to sink
  12. ground — a position
  13. bat — the animal
  14. object — to protest
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bound — tied together
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fall — the season

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