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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. foot — a measure
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. spring — a coil
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. chest — a box
  18. spring — the season
  19. bat — the animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. deal — to handle

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