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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stand — to bear
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cell — a phone
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. file — a tool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. file — a document
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. kid — child
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cell — in biology
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitch — completely

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