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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. roll — a list
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. content — happy
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. row — a line
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pass — a permit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. roll — a cake
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. content — the amount
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chest — a box
  24. pass — to spend time

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