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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 120 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cap — a hat
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. suit — in cards
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kid — child
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — a box
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cap — a lid
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. suit — clothes
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. suit — to fit
  24. chest — of your body

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