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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. charge — electricity
  4. kid — to tease
  5. firm — steady
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. charge — a price
  13. kid — child
  14. firm — decided
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hand — help
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. charge — in control
  24. firm — a company

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