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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 · pit · object · mark · shower · mine · staff · saw

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. shower — rain
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mark — a trace
  8. staff — employees
  9. chest — a box
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chest — of your body
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mine — for digging
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — a thing
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mark — a grade
  24. shower — to wash

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