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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chest — a box
  4. lie — to recline
  5. race — humankind
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. race — the arms race
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pound — a weight
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lie — an untruth

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