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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bat — the animal
  17. foot — a measure
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chest — of your body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. straw — a straw man

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