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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. chest — a box
  4. present — the time now
  5. kid — child
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. swing — to play on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. present — there
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. kid — to tease
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. swing — music
  24. trunk — of a car

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