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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. season — of the year
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bowl — a football final

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