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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. dip — to sink
  8. march — music
  9. chest — a box
  10. march — the month
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. march — the month
  16. kid — to tease
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kid — child
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pit — in a race

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