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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spell — letters
  4. kid — to tease
  5. key — in music
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stand — to bear
  10. chest — a box
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. spell — magic
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. kid — child
  22. key — the most important part
  23. spell — a short time
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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