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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. current — happening now
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chest — a box
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rock — a stone
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. foot — a measure
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. deal — to handle
  21. chest — of your body
  22. current — of water
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. current — electric

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