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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cue — a signal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. content — happy
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. drill — army training
  8. content — the amount
  9. rash — a series
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pit — in a race
  16. cue — a hint
  17. can — a tin
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. can — a tin
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chest — a box
  22. pit — a hole
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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