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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. kid — child
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chest — a box
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — to tease
  16. foot — a measure
  17. roll — a list
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. foot — the bottom
  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