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

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bound — certain
  5. rule — government
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rest — a break
  12. chest — a box
  13. hand — in cards
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rule — a law
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — on a finger

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