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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. last — final
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. last — finally
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. last — to go on
  23. hand — help
  24. sharp — clever

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