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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. current — of water
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chest — of your body
  20. current — happening now
  21. foot — a measure
  22. track — a path
  23. current — electric
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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