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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ball — a great time
  3. net — for catching
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. tube — a container
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. last — finally
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. net — after costs
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chest — a box
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ball — a dance
  19. net — in sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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