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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: chest · fine · rush · pitcher · hand · toast · club · kid

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — in cards
  3. chest — of your body
  4. kid — child
  5. chest — of your body
  6. club — for golf
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. toast — bread
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. club — a group
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chest — a box
  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