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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: suit · deal · fork · band · chest · kid · charge · wound

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. charge — a price
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. suit — clothes
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. suit — to fit
  12. charge — in control
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. band — a ring
  20. fork — in a road
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kid — child
  23. deal — to handle
  24. suit — in cards

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