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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a music group
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. kid — child
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. band — a ring
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chest — a box
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chair — a leader

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