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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chest — of your body
  5. current — happening now
  6. pound — a weight
  7. current — electric
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — help
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bound — certain
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chair — a leader
  20. current — of water
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chest — a box

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