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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cap — a lid
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. land — a country
  9. chest — a box
  10. land — to come down
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cap — a hat
  16. foot — a measure
  17. land — ground
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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