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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chip — to eat
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. scale — in music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — for betting
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. chip — in a computer

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