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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: foot · present · bowl · chest · rule · cell · wind · plane

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chest — a box
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rule — government
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — the time now
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. present — a gift
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. chest — of your body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. present — there

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