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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. net — in sport
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — for digging
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fine — all right
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fine — high quality
  17. net — for catching
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. net — after costs
  24. branch — of a bank

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