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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: deal · chest · cell · foot · hide · ground

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. deal — to handle
  3. ground — a position
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cell — in biology
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. hide — animal skin

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