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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — all right
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. roll — a cake
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. roll — a list
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. scale — in music

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