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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to click
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. court — for sport
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitch — completely
  17. court — of law
  18. object — an aim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. foot — a measure
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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