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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bound — certain
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fine — high quality
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fine — all right
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bound — obliged

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