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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pit — in a race
  3. season — in sport
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fine — all right
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. season — of the year
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. perch — the fish
  22. ground — a position
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chest — a box

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