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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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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: tear · deal · foot · march · fine · cell · mouse · chest

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cell — in biology
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. march — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. tear — to rip
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. march — the month
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — all right
  18. march — the month
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. foot — a measure

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