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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. key — in music
  3. current — happening now
  4. face — to confront
  5. march — music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chest — a box
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tube — a container
  14. key — for a lock
  15. march — the month
  16. face — to point toward
  17. tube — the underground
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. current — of water
  20. kid — to tease
  21. current — electric
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. kid — child
  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