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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — to crush
  5. suit — in cards
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chest — a box
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. kid — child
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cell — in biology
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tube — a container
  18. fine — all right
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. squash — the vegetable

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