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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: suit · foot · chest · stem · net · pit · fall · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pit — a hole
  5. suit — in cards
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. suit — clothes
  12. foot — a measure
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chest — a box
  17. net — in sport
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. suit — to fit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fall — the season
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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