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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. face — to confront
  3. present — the time now
  4. key — the most important part
  5. kid — child
  6. key — for a lock
  7. court — for sport
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chip — to eat
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. face — part of the head
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chest — of your body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. court — of law
  17. face — to point toward
  18. key — in music
  19. court — of a king
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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