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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bound — obliged
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — certain
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rash — a series
  17. bat — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. wound — an injury
  20. toast — bread
  21. chest — a box
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. toast — the most admired

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