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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 120 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — music
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. march — the month
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bore — to drill
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. march — the month
  15. pit — a hole
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pit — in a race
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. staff — employees
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bore — to tire

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