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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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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: foot · pit · mug · bat · nail · degree · racket · chest

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pit — a hole
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chest — a box
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bat — the animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mug — to rob
  18. chest — of your body
  19. degree — from a university
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. degree — an amount
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. degree — temperature

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