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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · club · pitcher · chest · firm · leaves · kid · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chest — of your body
  4. club — for golf
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. firm — steady
  7. kid — to tease
  8. firm — decided
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fine — high quality
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bore — to tire
  16. kid — child
  17. chest — of your body
  18. club — a group
  19. firm — a company
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. club — for dancing
  24. chest — a box

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