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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stand — to bear
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cap — a lid
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kick — in football
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spell — letters
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chest — a box
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. deal — to handle

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