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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: cold · deal · chest · club · foot · can · roll · pit

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pit — in a race
  3. can — a tin
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pit — a hole
  6. club — for golf
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. deal — to handle
  13. chest — of your body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. roll — a list
  16. club — a group
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. can — to be able to
  19. roll — a cake
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chest — of your body
  24. can — a tin

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