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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chest — of your body
  4. swing — music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. key — the most important part
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. shower — rain
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. key — in music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. chest — a box
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bowl — a dish

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