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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chest — of your body
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chest — a box
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. can — a tin
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lean — thin
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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