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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 laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. foot — a measure
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. race — a contest
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bank — of a river
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bank — for money
  19. race — humankind
  20. game — a match
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. chest — a box
  24. bank — for money

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