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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. drill — the tool
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. drill — army training
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — hasty
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rash — a series
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cap — a lid
  24. leaves — lets stay

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