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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 · fine · firm · scale · foot · mug · chest · bat

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chest — of your body
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cold — an illness
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. chest — a box
  12. scale — in music
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. firm — steady
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fine — high quality
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fine — all right
  21. firm — a company
  22. mug — a face
  23. scale — size or range
  24. firm — decided

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