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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chest — of your body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chest — of your body
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. file — a tool
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. track — to keep track
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. file — a document
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. file — a line of people
  17. chest — a box
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. foot — a measure
  22. clip — a video
  23. chair — a leader
  24. racket — a loud noise

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