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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: bowl · chest · nail · bat · toast · calf · pound · pop

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pop — to visit
  3. toast — bread
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pop — soda
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pop — music
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. toast — the most admired

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