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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. present — a gift
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. firm — steady
  11. present — there
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. firm — a company
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. present — the time now
  19. chest — of your body
  20. firm — decided
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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