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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. tube — a container
  7. march — the month
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fine — all right
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fine — high quality
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chest — a box
  23. ground — crushed
  24. march — music

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