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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. staff — employees
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. charge — in control
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chest — of your body
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pitch — completely
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chest — a box
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bat — the animal

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