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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: chest · firm · fine · kid · deal · ground · band · lie

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. kid — child
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chest — a box
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lie — to recline
  9. band — a music group
  10. ground — crushed
  11. firm — a company
  12. ground — a position
  13. fine — high quality
  14. kid — to tease
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. fine — all right
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ground — the earth
  20. deal — to handle
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. lie — an untruth

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