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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. sharp — clever
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cell — a phone

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