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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bat — the animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ground — a position
  10. rest — what's left
  11. court — of a king
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mark — a grade
  15. court — of law
  16. file — a tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rest — what's left
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rest — a break
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chest — a box
  24. court — for sport

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