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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rash — hasty
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chest — a box
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hand — help
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. key — in music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — child
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lie — to recline
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. key — for a lock
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rash — a series

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