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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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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: toast · track · bore · mark · cell · rash · pit · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cell — a phone
  7. toast — bread
  8. mark — a trace
  9. track — a song
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. track — a path
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chest — a box
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bore — to drill

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