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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — in a road
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rash — a series
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. roll — a list
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rash — hasty

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