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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. object — an aim
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. object — to protest
  5. club — for dancing
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. club — for golf
  8. chest — of your body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — all right
  12. club — a group
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chest — a box
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. object — a thing
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chest — of your body
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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