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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — an aim
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cap — a hat
  5. swing — to play on
  6. kid — child
  7. chest — a box
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. kid — to tease
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. object — to protest
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. chest — of your body
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — of ice
  24. dip — to sink

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