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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: chest · foot · cell · craft · board · calf · land · present

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. land — a country
  4. present — there
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. chest — a box
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. craft — boats
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — a gift
  14. land — ground
  15. board — a committee
  16. foot — a measure
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. board — to get on
  21. land — to come down
  22. present — the time now
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cell — in biology

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