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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pop — music
  7. shower — rain
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. shower — to wash
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. scale — in music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wind — moving air

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