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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. can — a tin
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tear — from crying
  7. can — to be able to
  8. foot — a measure
  9. band — a ring
  10. scale — in music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bat — the animal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. tear — to rip
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. tear — from crying
  24. scale — for weighing

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