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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chest — a box
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rash — a series
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kid — child
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — of your body

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