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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. ground — a position
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chest — of your body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. foot — a measure
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. season — of the year
  18. ground — the earth
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ground — crushed
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. chest — a box
  24. trunk — of a tree

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