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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 laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rock — a stone
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fall — the season
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chest — a box
  10. rush — hurry
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. court — of a king
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. court — for sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chest — of your body
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. cold — an illness
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. court — of law

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