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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cell — in biology
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. fine — all right
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chest — a box
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. snap — to click
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. chest — of your body
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. firm — a company
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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