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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. suit — clothes
  5. fall — the season
  6. suit — to fit
  7. firm — steady
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. suit — in cards
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. lean — thin
  16. fall — to drop
  17. firm — a company
  18. lean — to bend
  19. firm — decided
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — in a race
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kid — to tease

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