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

Word bank: race · fine · cabinet · straw · kid · chest · dip · bore

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bore — to tire
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chest — a box
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. bore — to drill
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kid — child
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fine — high quality
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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