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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. last — finally
  5. race — the arms race
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chest — of your body
  8. last — final
  9. kid — to tease
  10. race — a contest
  11. mate — a friend
  12. scale — in music
  13. face — to confront
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. face — part of the head
  16. kid — child
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. race — humankind
  19. mate — to breed
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. last — to go on

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