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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. net — for catching
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kid — to tease
  5. craft — boats
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. spell — a short time
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. kid — child
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. net — after costs
  15. chest — a box
  16. spell — letters
  17. fine — all right
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. dip — to sink
  20. chest — of your body
  21. craft — a skill
  22. spell — magic
  23. net — in sport
  24. craft — a handicraft

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