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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. sharp — clever
  3. file — a tool
  4. track — to keep track
  5. kid — to tease
  6. suit — clothes
  7. kid — child
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. chest — of your body
  11. track — a song
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cap — a lid
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. file — a line of people
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cap — of ice
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. file — a document
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chest — a box
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. track — a path

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