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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. kid — child
  11. shower — to wash
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. hand — help
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. hand — in cards
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. lie — to recline

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