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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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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 · fine · mug · mine · bat · rock · chest · cabinet

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rock — a stone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chest — of your body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mug — to rob
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rock — music
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mug — a face

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