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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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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: kid · chest · fine · foot · can · bore · shower · face

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chest — a box
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fine — high quality
  7. foot — a measure
  8. face — part of the head
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — to wash
  12. kid — child
  13. chest — of your body
  14. can — to be able to
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bore — to drill
  17. face — to point toward
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fine — all right
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. face — to confront
  24. fine — a penalty

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