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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. craft — boats
  11. saw — the tool
  12. toast — bread
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. chest — of your body
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. object — an aim
  19. chest — a box
  20. fall — to drop
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bound — tied together
  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