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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pop — music
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pop — soda
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lie — to recline
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cold — the Cold War

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