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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · foot · shower · rock · mug · march

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mug — to rob
  6. foot — a measure
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. chest — of your body
  10. march — music
  11. shower — rain
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. march — the month
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chest — a box
  16. rock — music
  17. mug — a face
  18. rock — a 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