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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chest — a box
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — for digging
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. chair — a leader
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. object — a thing
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. row — a line
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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