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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. last — final
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chest — of your body
  5. staff — employees
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kid — child
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. scale — in music
  11. chest — a box
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. staff — employees
  20. last — to go on
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. last — finally
  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