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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chest — of your body
  3. scale — in music
  4. race — a contest
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chest — of your body
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fine — high quality
  11. race — the arms race
  12. scale — size or range
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. race — humankind
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fine — all right
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — a box

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