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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ground — a position
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bore — to drill
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. calf — a young 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