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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. foot — a measure
  3. court — of law
  4. band — a music group
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. chest — of your body
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. court — of a king
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. band — a ring
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. chest — of your body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. court — for sport
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. last — finally
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. last — final

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