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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: bowl · cabinet · saw · chest · tube · foot · pitcher · kid

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. kid — child
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. tube — a container
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chest — a box
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. saw — the tool

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