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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kid — child
  4. key — in music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. key — the most important part
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chest — of your body
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chair — a leader
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mug — a cup
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. key — for a lock

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