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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. row — a line
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. staff — employees
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. hand — help
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bound — obliged
  13. hand — in cards
  14. row — to paddle
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stand — to bear
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bound — certain
  24. staff — a stick

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