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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. hand — help
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fine — all right
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. current — electric
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chest — a box
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fine — high quality
  19. current — of water
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. current — happening now
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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