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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. hand — in cards
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bass — low music
  11. field — farmland
  12. march — music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. season — in sport
  15. hand — help
  16. march — the month
  17. chest — a box
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. field — a subject
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. field — for sport
  23. chest — of your body
  24. season — of the year

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