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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 120 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. staff — employees
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. object — to protest
  5. staff — employees
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. object — an aim
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chest — a box
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. chest — of your body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. cold — not warm
  17. object — a thing
  18. sharp — clever
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cold — an illness
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — a stick

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