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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tube — the underground
  6. court — for sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tube — a container
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. court — of law
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hand — help
  22. court — of a king
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — in cards

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