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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. firm — steady
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — for sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a music group
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. firm — a company
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. firm — decided
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. can — a tin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. court — of law
  22. can — a tin
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. court — of a king

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