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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. row — a line
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pit — a hole
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. chest — a box
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chest — of your body
  24. leaves — to go away

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