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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. capital — money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chest — of your body
  8. kid — child
  9. dip — to sink
  10. chest — a box
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. capital — a city
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rush — hurry
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. dip — a sauce

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