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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hand — in cards
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hand — help
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — a box
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stand — to bear
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chest — of your body
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stand — on your feet

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