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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chest — of your body
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitch — completely
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rock — a stone
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. chest — a box
  15. shower — rain
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rock — music
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. chest — of your 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