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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mug — a face
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. swing — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mug — to rob
  14. foot — a measure
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — of the year
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. season — in sport
  21. chest — a box
  22. prune — to trim
  23. swing — in golf
  24. foot — part of the body

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