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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — for digging
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. chest — of your body
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. drill — army training
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pit — a hole
  17. chest — a box
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rest — a break
  23. wax — to grow
  24. deal — to handle

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