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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's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fine — all right
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. board — a committee
  11. track — to keep track
  12. face — to point toward
  13. fine — high quality
  14. track — a song
  15. face — to confront
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chest — of your body
  18. track — a path
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mouse — the animal

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