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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chest — a box
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. race — a contest
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stem — to come from
  20. race — humankind
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. chest — of your 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