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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pit — a hole
  8. firm — steady
  9. chair — a leader
  10. game — a match
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. can — a tin
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. chest — a box
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bound — certain
  24. nail — on a finger

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