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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cap — a hat
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chest — a box
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. band — a ring
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — help
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. charge — a price
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. band — a music group
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. chest — of your body
  21. roll — a list
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cap — a lid

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