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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spring — a coil
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rash — a series
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. foot — a measure
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chest — a box
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mate — a partner
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. spring — the season

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