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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of 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. bay — a horse colour
  3. spell — letters
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. foot — a measure
  6. row — a line
  7. fall — the season
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. object — to protest
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spell — a short time
  13. season — of the year
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fall — to drop
  17. object — an aim
  18. chest — a box
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fall — to drop
  21. object — a thing
  22. spell — magic
  23. season — in sport
  24. foot — the bottom

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