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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chest — a box
  5. squash — the sport
  6. current — electric
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. current — of water
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. kid — child
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mark — a trace
  16. kid — to tease
  17. saw — the tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. current — happening now
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mark — a grade

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