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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. tube — a container
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. land — a country
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cap — of ice
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. chest — a box
  13. key — in music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pit — in a race
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cap — a lid
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. pit — a hole
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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