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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: kick · bat · pitcher · cell · chest · bound · foot · fork

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. kick — in football
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bat — the animal
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chest — a box
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — certain
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chest — of your body
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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