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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pit — in a race
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mine — for digging
  8. key — in music
  9. chest — a box
  10. key — for a lock
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bat — the animal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. foot — part of the body

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