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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. root — of a word
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chest — a box
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bound — certain
  16. bat — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. face — to confront
  19. charge — in control
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. root — the cause
  22. wake — a trail
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wound — an injury

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