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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. lean — to bend
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chest — of your body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. chest — a box
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. saw — the tool
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pit — a hole
  19. lean — thin
  20. charge — in control
  21. pit — in a race
  22. chest — of your body
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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