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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rash — a series
  10. chest — of your body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mug — a face
  14. roll — a list
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mug — a cup
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chest — of your body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rash — hasty
  24. arm — a part of something

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