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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. fine — all right
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chest — a box
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rash — a series
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. fine — high quality

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