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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cell — in biology
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bound — tied together
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. can — a tin
  14. drill — a practice
  15. shower — rain
  16. drill — army training
  17. chest — a box
  18. bound — obliged
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bound — certain

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