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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rash — a series
  3. suit — in cards
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hand — help
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rock — a stone
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rash — hasty
  14. scale — size or range
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rock — music
  19. scale — in music
  20. ball — a great time
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hand — part of the body

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