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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bound — tied together
  3. face — to confront
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. deal — to handle
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — a box
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. face — part of the head
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. kid — child
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chest — of your body

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