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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mate — a friend
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stock — shares
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fall — the season
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stock — goods
  13. tube — a container
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chest — a box
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. fall — to drop

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