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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mark — a grade
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pit — a hole

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