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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rule — a law
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rule — government
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fall — the season
  19. bore — to drill
  20. toast — bread
  21. kid — to tease
  22. scale — in music
  23. kid — child
  24. bore — to tire

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