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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. chest — of your body
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chest — of your body
  8. club — for dancing
  9. lean — thin
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. club — for golf
  15. lean — to bend
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. court — of a king
  18. dip — to sink
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. court — of law
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. club — a group
  23. stand — to bear
  24. chest — a box

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