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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chest — of your body
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pop — soda
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. charge — in control
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. charge — a price
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. chest — a box
  16. pop — to visit
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pop — music
  21. lean — thin
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kid — child
  24. ruler — for measuring

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