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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bound — certain
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mark — a trace
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. spring — the season
  15. bound — tied together
  16. swing — in golf
  17. spring — of water
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. swing — to play on

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