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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rest — a break
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stock — goods
  10. chest — a box
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cell — a phone
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bound — certain
  19. stock — shares
  20. club — a group
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — in a prison

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