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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. club — for dancing
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. club — for golf
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. chest — a box
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. club — a group
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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