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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. craft — boats
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. chest — a box
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mark — a trace
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chip — to eat
  23. craft — a skill
  24. tear — from crying

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